Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-10-23
SETH DAKIN'S "FIGGERIN'.

from his youth up he had been
" figgerin'," as he pronounced IL, q
form of expression comsnon to most
business men and some women. not
Bostonian in elegance but very popu-
lar with "the masses"
He did some tiggerin' when he made
up his mind to marry sweet, pretty
Nellie NARROW, who taught in the
primary department OF the. puolic
schools, and had known him since she
was wee toddler and he was gawky,
freckled-faced schoclboy.
'sI've been tiggerin," he said to
his landlady, as he sat one night with
a pencil and paper before him. she
had called in to collect his board bill,
a week before it was due, to protect
herself.
ssIve figgered out that it's as cheap
for two to live as one. l mean that 1t
won't cost me any more to get mar
Aried and take care of a wife than 1t
does to live single. The same fire
will do for both, and 1 won't have to
pay out for mending, and there's lot
of ways a man spends money with ms
friends that he can save if he has
some one to look after him. I've got
it all down here and added up. and
there is balance in favor of my plan
ON the credit SIDE"
"He's figurin' on the rule that what
amt enough tor one is plenty and to
spare for two" thought his lardlady
13'twon't work, but it's none of my
AFFAIRS
Seth Dakin married the little school
mistress, and for brief year they
boarded with his former laudlady in
such a pinclred and subdued style thai
they were comfortably wretched most
of the time, and, had it not been fol
the genuine love that existed between
them, could never have survived theii
domestic hirdships. At the end Of
the year Seth did some more Gig
GERM
This time he figured himself into a
house and lot on some installment
Dian, and it looked so feasible that
Nellie ciapped her hands with enthus-
iasm-very thin white hands they
were, too.
care you sure it can be doee?" she
asked, anxiously, as she reckoned up
the long column of items. "Can we
ever pay fer them?'
easiest thing in the world, dear"
Seth answered, gently. He was very
fond of his Nellie. If she had no
cloak fit to wear, neither did he have
any overcoat, bat went out on the
coldest day buttoned up and trim.
s'You've forgotten your overcoat,
Mr.. Dakin," said a polite friend to
him one day; "aren't you cold?"
"N-n-n-ever-w-wea o-o-ne," STAN
mered the poor fellow, shivering like
= hungry dog over bone. II SHOULD
d-despise to r-r- oil up Hike an o-o-ld
M-wOmanW
You see he was only a clerk on a
beggarly stipend in a time and place
that demanded luXuries; carpets in
stead of bare floors; meat and pie in
stead of brown loaves or cabbage and
beans. He could as well have turned
,cannibal as to have tried to do with
out the kind of food they had been
reared upon.
"Figgers don't lie'' he said cheer
fully. Nellie, we'll have a home"
The house Was built for them and
they moved in. For another year
they pincned and saved, and pared
down to the bone. Then Seth began
to "fiyger" again.
This time it was the baby.
He was as cheerful and light
hearted-not the baby, but Seth-as
If the debt on the house was not star
ing them in the face. He whistled
and sang, and one night he sat down
h. MALTA aa1 oh ha~ xxr,1
columns of credit and debit.
"Ive been figgerin'," he said gaily,
"and that little shaver over there isn't
going to cost us cent. I've put
everything down that he can possibly
need for year, and it only adds up
$50. Why, can make that up by
writing up books in the evenings this
winter"
Nellie smiled, but it was sad, wan
smile. She began to see how Seth's
~'fggerin'" came out-always de-
4icit instead OF balance, but she
hadn't the heart to discourage him.
The baby grow and thrived. His
mother was his nurse. She was also
chief cook and seamstress, as well as
mistress and housekeeper.
Il We DCCh liSe5ciAh oOSdii Dctn
one evening, 'that the baby is the
hest economist in the family. He
keeps us from going anywhere, so we
can't spend any money for outside
pleasures if we try. And we'er ever
30 much happier together, amt We
little mammal"
The little mamma looked very tired
but she assented with her whole hear
to what Seth said. Here was hel
world. These two were her treasures
They had already been able to pay
the interest on their home with all Of
Seth's "fggerin'," when the baby
was taken very ill and a doctor was
called in.
Then followed a dreadful siege OF
sickness. The doctor came three
times day. The father and mother
were watchers and nurses themselves,
but at last the little fellow was
saved, and the long, dreadful anxiety
was over.
Then Seth brought out that we'll
known pencil and paper.
'I've been figgerin." he said, but
this time more gravely than was
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